Republicans in the House of Representatives are planning to make massive cuts to Medicaid, one of the essential healthcare programs in the United States.

“Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, has been hard at work on a major bill that can balance various priorities of Mr. Trump and his caucus: a desire for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, a wish to trim federal spending, and concerns about rising federal debts,” according to The New York Times.

“The budget Mr. Johnson negotiated for the next decade, a first step in passing that agenda, calls for around $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid, in an effort to counterbalance a portion of the tax cuts.”

President Trump has endorsed the House Republicans’ plans for massive cuts to Medicaid and Medicare in order to cover the costs of his tax cuts.

Trump is now claiming on Fox News that he does not want cuts to Medicaid, however his frequent misstatements and outright lies mean that his promises are not credible.

President Trump has actually called for cuts to Medicaid and Medicare frequently during his presidential campaigns and previous administration, clearly signaling his intent to cut healthcare.

The Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid would be devastating for millions of ordinary American citizens.

The New York Times points out that “Medicaid covers nearly half of all births in the country, and around two-thirds of nursing home stays. In 41 states that expanded the program as part of the Affordable Care Act, it also covers millions of working-class Americans with incomes close to the poverty line.”

Nursing home residents have no power to fight back against the proposed cuts, so their family members will have to mobilize to represent them.

“The House plan remains vague. It does not specify Medicaid policies other than the budget target for the committee that oversees the program. But spending reductions so large would require major changes. Adding a work requirement to the program, a proposal with some public support, would save only around $100 billion.”

The New York Times reports on “Trump Says Medicaid Won’t Be ‘Touched.’ House Republicans Want It Cut by Hundreds of Billions.”

Historians of medicine and analysts of public healthcare are monitoring these ongoing developments.

For an understanding of the history of public healthcare systems in the United States, see my colleague’s important study:

Hoffman, Beatrix. Health Care for Some: Rights and Rationing in the United States since 1930. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2012.

U.S. citizens who are concerned about the proposed cuts to Medicaid should contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives to demand that they defend Medicaid and Medicare.